Jonas M.
Yelp
Jean-Luc Le Du is a pretty big deal in the wine world. His credentials include former sommelier at Daniel and having been important enough to be invited to Robert Parker's celebratory dinner after he won the French Legion of Honor.
The selection is not cheap as he keeps his inventory temperature- controlled. The store isn't the most convenient, as it is at least a 10-minute walk from the Christopher St. 1 stop. And Le-Du's selection skews toward the wines you see on the lists of high-end French gastronomic temples such Daniel and Le Bernardin, which leaves only a small smattering of Spanish, South American, and South African wines.
But inevitably you come into Le-Du's store for his impeccable taste in wines. His former sommelier connections allow him access to very small, independent producers; his selection of wines, as a result, is slightly off-beat, a little unexpected, but inevitably carries wines that you'll find at no other store. His collection of Bordeauxs, Burgundies, and Alsatian rieslings floored me.
In terms of free wine tastings, Le-Du does the best ones. He doesn't offer the cheap wines that importers are trying to push; these are all wines he or a member of the staff has tasted and appreciated. I attended "Full-Bodied Reds" (the wines, not Christina Hendricks), which included a Sottano Reserva 2008 Malbec, a Carl Roy East Side Cuvee 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, and Monteti 2005 Cab Sav blend, and a Mas d'en Gil "Clos Fontos" 2002 Priorat, which even the least expensive one was far better than almost the best of the wines from other wine store's tastings I've been to.